These Caramelized Apples are the perfect fall topping for pancakes, oatmeal, waffles, or French toast! You can add them to ice cream, or any desserts. If you have a surplus of apples, this is a great way to use them all up.
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Why This Recipe Works
Versatile - You can put these apples on desserts or ice cream but my favorite way to enjoy them is for breakfast! Add them to pancakes, waffles, french toast, oatmeal, or toasted bread! I highly recommend you try them on this Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal!
Quick and easy - You can whip these up in just a few minutes and they're so simple. All you need are apples, butter, maple syrup, and spices!
Make a bigger batch - You can easily double or triple this recipe to make a bigger batch for the week ahead. You can store leftovers in the fridge and just reheat them on the stove as you need them! It makes this the perfect recipe to make when you have too many apples that are about to go bad.
Ingredients
- Apples - I recommend using either Honey Crisp apples or Gala apples. They're sweet and are less likely to fall apart after cooking compared to other varieties. Granny Smith apples are also great but I don't usually use them because they're much more sour.
- Butter - I like using salted butter to balance out the sweetness but unsalted butter works just as well. Use vegan butter to keep the dish dairy-free.
- Maple syrup - For a stronger maple flavor, use a darker grade maple syrup. The darker the maple syrup, the more maple flavor it will have.
- Spices - You can keep things simple with just cinnamon but I like to also add some apple pie spice for more flavor and vanilla extract to round all the flavors out. Vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean powder are also great options because they have a stronger vanilla flavor and will add those beautiful black vanilla specks to the sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Dice the apples and set aside. You can peel the apples but it’s not necessary.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter.
- Once it’s almost melted, add in the diced apples and toss in the butter. Lower the heat to low medium.
- Add maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Stir to combine and mix everything.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the apples are soft but not mushy and the maple syrup thickens.
- Serve immediately while the apples are still warm. The sauce will thicken more as it cools just like caramel would.
How to Serve the Apples
The apples are best served while they're still hot from the pan. The longer they sit, the thicker the caramel will get.
You can store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days. To warm them back up, add them to a small saucepan with a splash of water or more maple syrup and butter.
- Breakfast: Try it on these Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats or these Apple Ring Pancakes, or any waffles!
- Dessert: Caramelized apples are a great topping for ice cream, cake, or any other dessert.
FAQs
I don't recommend it because they will be very mushy and watery once defrosted.
Yes! If you don't have apples, try using pears, peaches, nectarines, or bananas!
Yes, you can swap regular butter for non-dairy butter in a 1:1 ratio with not problem!
More Apple Recipes
If you have lots of apples on hand you need to use up, check out some of the apple recipes linked below! The apple ring pancakes are my all-time favorite breakfast for fall. They're like apple fritter donuts but in pancake form!
📖 Recipe
Caramelized Apples
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These caramelized apples are the perfect fall topping for pancakes, oatmeal, waffles, or French toast! You can add them to ice cream, or any desserts. If you have a surplus of apples, this is a great way to use them all up.
Ingredients
- 2 apples, diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp apple pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Dice the apples and set aside. You can peel the apples but it’s not necessary.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once it’s almost melted, add in the diced apples and toss in the butter. Lower the heat to low medium.
- Add maple syrup, sea salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. Stir to combine and mix everything.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the apples are soft but not mushy and the maple syrup thickens.
- Serve immediately while the apples are still warm. The sauce will thicken more as it cools just like caramel would.
Notes
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in a saucepan on the stove with a splash of water or more maple syrup and butter.
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Natalie says
These caramelized apples are the perfect topping for pancakes in the winter. So much flavor and so delicious.